This invention relates to a novel compound 4,6-dimethyl-7-keto-nonan-3-ol and a sex attracting composition comprising the same as an active ingredient.
It is well known that insecticide spraying for the prevention or extermination of plant pests causes hygenically undesirable problems. There is a strong demand for the development of a new pest prevention technique to substitute for insecticide spraying, or a new technique capable of reducing the amount of insecticide used.
Research has been made on pest prevention by attracting insects for catching and killing them, or disturbing the communication between male and female insects using an insect sex pheromone.
In general, the pairing behavior of insects is controlled by an extremely small amount of an odorous substance secreted by the insect, usually the female insect. The female insect releases a volatile, odorous substance in the air. The male insect perceives this odor and moves on legs or wings toward the female insect which is the source of the odor. The male insect who finds the female insect sexually excites and mates therewith.
The odorous substance secreted by female insects is generally called sex pheromone or sex attractant and is a very important substance in the mating behavior of insects.
The sex pheromone may be applied to pest prevention by attracting male insects to a given place to catch and kill them, or by disturbing the normal mating behavior of male imagoes. Alternatively, a sex pheromone may be used to attract and collect insect pests in order to make a field survey on the hatching or growing of the insect pests. On the basis of the results of such periodic surveys, it is possible to judge whether insecticide spraying is needed or not and to select the effective amount of an insecticide, thereby reducing the quantity of the insecticide used as a whole.